Archive for 2014

When a human appears at the gates pleading for Alex’s help, he is more than ready to leave the Academy for a chance to cope with his guilt and heartache. Upon finding that Greyton is being decimated by gangs, Alex (more…)

Stuck in Chicago without food or cash, Anna’s immediate prospects look darker than the storm outside. When Jim sits down next to her with an offer to trade fries for electricity, things begin to improve.

By the time they get home, neither one realizes they’ve exchanged more than resources…they’ve traded hearts.

Book Blurb:

Marie never expected to wake up in North Pole City, let alone become Santa’s Emergency Replacement. It was a job she never wanted but couldn’t turn down, thanks to Clarence, Santa’s right hand man.
Now, Marie has to work with Clarence, who believes she is some kind of criminal who will cause the destruction of everything he holds dear. Trying to prove that he’s wrong, Marie keeps making mistakes that push them even further apart. It doesn’t help that she has a past she’d rather keep hidden. However, trying to keep her past where it should belong isn’t easy.

Christmas carols capture the spirit of Christmas like nothing else, and Carol of the Tales and Other Nightly Noels brings beloved carols to life like never before.
Throw your cares away with the tales from sweet silver bells. Follow the story of the one creature who was stirring on Christmas Eve and feel the redemption of a dying wife’s (more…)

I have always had stories running through my head, but it wasn’t until a year ago, when I realized I had only months before I would be an empty nester, that I figured I may as well start writing before it was too late. So I just sat down one Saturday morning and cranked out twenty pages of a young adult mystery novel.

Awesome. What makes you passionate about writing?

From the day I started writing, I found that I was just happy. I can’t explain it more than that I just felt at home. I wake up wanting to write, and I go to sleep with characters, scenes, story ideas, and motivations in my head. I am never bored.

Amen to that. What was the pathway like for you to get your first book published?

Doug, when did you first know you wanted to be a Music Composer and how long have you been writing music?

Back at the beginning of High School my plan was to major in Astronomy and minor in music, but slowly over time they switched places. I’ve loved astronomy since I was 6 years old, and I didn’t start playing a musical instrument until I was 9. I started making up songs on my parents Casio keyboard around the same age, but it was all for my own entertainment. I didn’t start seriously composing until 2002, and that’s when I starting to consider making it a career.

A child prodigy…very nice. What makes you passionate about writing music?
The passion is always there, I’m not sure what causes it. Possibly hearing the music of great composers and wanting to emulate them. Personally, I like to try many different things with my music. (more…)

Paulette, give me a brief Bio of you, and a short synopsis or snippet of your last book published.

Paulette Harper is an award-winning and best-selling author, speaker and ordained Elder. She is the owner of Write Now Literary Virtual Book Tours and is passionate about helping authors succeed in publishing and marketing their books. Paulette has been writing and publishing books since 2008. She writes both Christian Fiction, Non-Fiction and children’s books. She resides in Northern, California.

Princess Nevaeh

Six year old Nevaeh wants to be something she already is. She will soon learn that her wish to be a princess takes a little bit more than just asking. Lessons on self-discovery are taught by her Mimi who makes her understand that being a princess takes work.

Post by Tristi Pinkston in her blog: http://tristipinkston.blogspot.com/2014/11/attention-book-reviewers-this-ones-for.html

Today I’m going to address an issue that seems to be taking over the Internet and causing some real outward ripples. I’m talking about bad book reviews.

Now, I don’t mean reviews that say things like, “This book wasn’t for me” or “I didn’t enjoy it” or “I never felt connected to the characters.” Reviewers don’t have to like everything they read – if they did, what would be the point of having reviews? If every author everywhere got nothing but five stars all the time, the buyer wouldn’t have any basis to go from, and we might as well do away with reviews altogether.

I’m talking about the book reviews that slam and hurt and demean. I’ve seen reviewers say that authors should give up, that they never should have even put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, in today’s world), and any number of other hurtful things – including “This author is too stupid to live.”

A Christmas Anthology? How did the idea came to be?
Tanya and I decided to do this on our way back from the Indieauthor Hub conference last June. There was lots of enthusiasm for the project, but Life intervened, and some of the novellas got put on hold. So, we ended up with three Christmas stories, this year.

Ann Acton:

Liz, did you created the cover for this anthology?
This was my first effort at cover design and at covering all the indie bases myself. It was stressful, but I loved every step.

Here’s the back cover blurb:

Christmas Gift – by Ann Acton: Christmas for Amanda Grover is usually a chaotic marathon in search of the perfect gifts. This year, she thinks she’s got it all under control—until she’s roped into doing service on Christmas Eve. What should be a simple night turns into a series of chaotic events and a gift she never expected.

Amy’s Star: A Spider Latham Christmas Story – by Liz Adair: A new star rises above the southern Utah town of Kanab and draws some surprising visitors on Christmas Eve.

At Whit’s End – by Terry Deighton: When Whitney Saunders and her husband buy their first home, it jump starts her desire to make everything, especially Christmas, perfect. She soon finds out it’s more work than she thought, and she begins to wonder what perfect really is.

I’ve been creating stories and drawing since I was about ten years old so most of my life. I’m 59 now, and next month I’ll be 60! Still can hardly believe that! I was born in Portland, Maine but grew up in Gorham, Maine. My mom was a third grade school teacher. I wrote my very first books that I published last fall when she was alive,and she used them in her class room. I redid the illustrations digitally but Mom would recognize the pictures.

How nice. Do you know the idea is good enough to write a book about it?

As for knowing if my idea is good enough for a book, not quite sure how to answer that.I get lots of ideas every day that I know I can turn into really great stories. I’m a little overwhelmed (more…)

What makes you passionate about writing?
I am passionate about the experience of creating stories. I love meeting new friends in my characters and see how they react to one another. Writing is therapeutic for me.

Do you have a writing routine?
I used to write whenever the muse hit me. Now I stick to a schedule so that my writing doesn’t encroach to much on time away from family.

I was born in Alamosa, Colorado. I have an older sister and a younger brother so I guess that means I’m the middle child.

I now live in Wellsville, Utah with my husband and four children. I’ve never cared for snow, ever. When I left Colorado I said I never wanted to live in an area with heavy snow again. Well let’s just say, I’ve learned to Never Say Never. I do love living in Cache Valley––except when it snows.

No really, the area is beautiful and it’s a great place to raise a family.

🙂 What makes you passionate writing about genealogy?

That is a funny one for me, I don’t know much about genealogy unlike my mother who is a family history consultant. That is why my main character, Annaliese, is portrayed the way she is.

She is more into Plant Research instead of Family Research. Her mother (more…)

Michael, how has your family background affected your writing, if it has?

My family has always encouraged me to express myself creatively. My father is an art teacher and a talented artist. (He did my cover design) Stories are a large part of my life. My father had the power of the spoken word and would gather us kids together at night to spin fantastic tales of heroism and adventure. I am working on a project now that is based on one of his stories. My mother would tell us scripture stories and get us excited about (more…)

I’m a mom first, writer second, and part time educator third. Day starts with getting kids up and ready for school all except my youngest who gets to hang with me most days. Up at 6am, read scriptures as a family, breakfast, hair and out the door. I double check my list with things to get done and then drag around for another hour debating getting myself out of jammies. It generally takes me until 10am to think straight. I’ll sometimes get a workout in before 10am, but not always. At 10 I get to work going over any revisions or writing done the previous day and from there plunge into the new days work. I tend to my three year old the whole time so it’s a very broken day’s effort, but I love that. When kids get off the bus it’s homework, dinner, and reading time. We read every night. We recently finished reading Washington Irvine’s Legend of Sleepy Hallow which a yearly Halloween tradition at our house. November will begin the yearly reading of a Christmas Carol. I love traditions. All of our kids sit through the Hobbit when they start kindergarten. It’s like a rite of passage into the adventure of education. My kids are all still very young, the oldest is six, so they get ready for bed at 7pm. Then I finish any editing or writing I had to cut short and enjoy vegging in front of a Netflix program. We don’t have cable.

“Honestly,” Aunt Adele said. “Lavinia has dealt with paintings worth millions. What makes you think she would steal your painting?”

Synopsis
Risk-taker Zeke Abberley knows how to be bold when it comes to his antique shop on Merchant Street in Salt Lake City, Utah. He successfully bid on a collection of 1800s antiques in Nauvoo, Illinois that may contain a valuable Hayez painting. However, love is another matter. Afraid that all women are users, he’s always injuring his dates, particularly Lavinia Vega, who works at her father’s art gallery.

Studious Lavinia Vega is tired of proving to Zeke that she has no ulterior motives. When Zeke brings her a damaged painting to restore and authenticate, she is eager to help but not get involved. When she uncovers a hidden map behind the painting that leads to valuable buried coins, the game plan changes. Or so Zeke thinks. (more…)